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Like most of their albums, good but not great

Ash famously scored their first top 20 single (Girl From Mars) in the week two of them received their A-Level results, and for a guitar act to have a number 1 album with an average age of 19 is pretty noteworthy - especially considering that they're still active into the 2010s. They fit into the Britpop vibe but were slightly on the edges for two reasons. Firstly, their musical influences had some differences - Nirvana and similarly heavy, moody music was anathema to the relatively twee, traditional majority of the genre. Secondly, their youth gave them exuberance, energy and a desire to party. Fellow Ulstermen The Undertones were a big influence too, sharing the contrast of clear melodies and upbeat lyrics with a dark guitar shred in places.

Girl From Mars blasted them into the mainstream conscience, its melodic intro contrasted by the feedback-laden main riff. Goldfinger (an even bigger hit, sharing its name with a track by post-punk pioneers Magazine) has a slower tempo but confident and optimistic words about a girlfriend's departure and return. Influences from Star Wars and kung fu movies, plus lyrics about "swinging on a chandelier, handing from the sky", gave the album a zeitgeist feel for anyone who was coming of age at the time.

Love is the biggest lyrical theme - wistful recollections of first love (hit single Oh Yeah), the thrill of being with the right person ("you give me feelings that I used to get, remembered things that I had forgotten long ago" from closer Darkside Lightside) and unrequited love ("here she comes walking cross the sands, she'll never know how she blows my mind, she's there with the chemicals in my brain, spinning on and on an on" from Let It Flow, my favourite). It's all been said by others before and since, in almost any musical style imaginable, but Ash did it as well as anyone.

There are negatives too. Gone the Dream is a wretched ballad devoid of any feeling, and Lost in You is only mediocre - Tim Wheeler's slightly flat voice doesn't help either. Innocent Smile completely loses it way halfway through - guitar wig-outs are not what these guys do best. Worst of all is what finishes the album. After the excellent Darkside Lightside ends it run, we get silence - followed by a recording of the band (and friends) throwing up while drunk. Unpleasant, unfunny, not the sort of thing that should be committed to CD, and made worse by the fact that it's on every copy, while only a few premium early copies had a much more inviting bonus - the band's first two demo recordings.

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1977 was a vintage year

Ash's full length debut album and follow-up to the promising mini-lp Trailer was released at the height of Britpop in the Spring of 1996. The album went on to top the UK albums chart and became their first platinum record. The title 1977 was chosen for several reasons, first it was the year that two of the band members were born. Secondly it was the year in which many seminal punk records were released, of which Ash were heavily inspired by. Thirdly it was the year Star Wars was released, the band being big fans as can be seen by the closing track Darkside Lightside (as well as the slightly more obscure reference of the sound of a TIE fighter opening the album).

1977, whilst being influenced by classic punk bands such as The Buzzcocks and The Undertones, takes a slightly more expanded approach with all the songs breaching the three minute mark, bar one. The one exception is the thrilling Kung Fu which pays tribute to Jackie Chan in its lyrics. Girl From Mars is probably the best known song here, a regular staple of indie discos and with good reason. It was the song that really brought Ash to a wider audience and helped the album to number one in the UK album chart.

Other standouts include Angel Interceptor, another high tempo rocker with an excellent guitar solo from Tim Wheeler. The bittersweet love song Oh Yeah and Ash's biggest chart hit Goldfinger, which features some of Wheeler's strongest lyrics to date. Also worth mentioning is the strong opener Lose Control, a great way to kick off the album and features another great solo.

There are a couple of forgettable tracks such as I'd Give You Anything and the Mark Hamilton penned Innocent Smile but the good heavily outweighs the bad overall.

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Great Album from the best Irish Pop-Punk band since the Undertones

Ash were a teenage Irish band who mixed the finer points of indie with some thrashing guitars during the 90's, never considered Britpop they followed the ethic of bands like the Undertones and the Sticky Little Fingers in producing wonderful songs in under 3 minutes.

The album was released in 1996 but listening to it now, its still so good, filled with quick, quirky tunes that make you want to jump, shout or simply move your head at a pace.

1977 is named after the year Star Wars was released, the year punk arrived and the year two of the band were born. Made up of thoughtful lead singer Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton on Bass and Rick McMurray on drums, they are childhood mates and its clear from their playing that they know each other inside out.

The album is a mix of love songs and teenage dreams over thrashing guitars and drums. Ash were the perfect 3 minute band, with songs which contained strong choruses and great lyrics whilst being musically strong, their music is different to most bands, as they can move between sounds and genres effortlessly without even trying on tracks, sometimes it sounds as though its unplanned and just teenage verbosity, but I feel that everything about this album has magic to it which i'd recommend to all listeners.

The Tracks

The album opens with the sound of a Star Wars Tie Fighter, which tells you all you need to know about the band.

Lose Control - This combines Tim Wheelers voice at its most teenage with a fantastic rising chorus and banging guitars and drums throughout, it sounds like a band loving their work, it builds to a crashing close and whilst its one of the less melodic songs on the album, its still a cracking start building pace, working you into the album and simply being brilliant.

Goldfinger - One of the songs that made the band famous, with a Radiohead-esque guitar sound going through it, this is a lovesong which owes as much to Nirvana as it does Britpop, Tim Wheelers voice sounds beautiful and vulnerable, the chorus is fantastic with a real melody and charm, this does remind me of a hybrid of Radiohead and Nirvana but with a beautiful teenage look at life and love, it is a beautifully paced song as it raises and lowers, definitely worth a listen to anyone who hasn't heard it.

Girl From Mars - One of my favourite songs, I love this, it reminds me of being a teenager, about a strange girl (well all girls are strange when your that age), this has great guitar and drums pacily thrashing through it, but Wheelers voice is still key, as he sings in his soft tone a beautifully written song, his voice stands out on this as it does on all of Ash's best songs, its pacy, fun and makes you smile.

I'd Give you Anything - Wicked start with bass and guitars setting the tone, this is a good song, nicely paced, the lyrics are a bit throwaway, but it maintains the pace and poise of the album and is great live, with a fab chorus, one of the weaker songs on the album, but still excellent compared to most.

Gone the Dream - Nice use of strings from the start, this is a sweet song, nicely paced, not too fast but allows us to hear the lyrics fully, its another of the lesser album songs but is a sweet love song nonetheless with a great chorus.

Kung Fu - Starting with a punchy sample, this goes mental from the start with thrashing punk-pop guitars, wicked drums and the most fun lyrics on the album 'Kung-Fu do what you do to me, I haven't been the same since my teenage labotamy'. Lyrics about playing pool with Mr Myagi, and Jackie Chan and Daniel San, make this fun, it has a clappy bit which reminds me of old 80's or 60's songs such as Micky, but then builds to a fantastic free for all ending, this is what Ash do best, fun thrashy pop with punk sensibilities and excellent pop culture references, a great song, which I think has passed the test of time brilliantly.

Oh Yeah - I loved this 17 years ago, it felt like the song of the summer for me, with strings, rough guitars and beautiful chorus' and Wheeler singing in an almost falsetto voice, this is a wonderful story, evoking summer love, I listened to it while writing this and it is brilliant, still hits hard, has a great catchy chorus and mixes fast, slow, soft and hard perfectly, this is a truly brilliant pop tune from an incredibly undervalued band.

Let it Flow - I love this tune, it moves around, it has a nicely paced backing from the band, but has a real vulnerability in the vocal and lyrics, the chorus is great, has a real indie feel to it, but the song just fits with this album so well.

Innocent Smile - Sounds like a song the Strokes would love to make, great backing tune, fast punky with excellent lyrics, Ash have always been good at chorus' and this is no exception, its not one of their best songs, but still doesn't sound out of place on this album as it maintains the electric pace of the other songs.

Angel Interceptor - Starting with a vocal harmony and then a really fast guitar riff, this mixes Beach Boys with the Stooges, I like this as it focuses on the vocals again, which Ash always do on their best songs, where they know they've got cracking lyrics. This is fun, fast and I love the way it moves around musically, Wheelers voice isn't perfect and this adds to the beauty of love songs like this.

Lost in You - I love this slow song, it has a fabulous chorus which sounds familiar, Wheeler sounds like a lost schoolboy, but this is an achingly beautiful song which sums up this album, of teenage love songs and silliness, its a great memory of lost times and could be released today and stand head and shoulders above some of the stuff out now.

The album ends with a hidden track of the chaps laughing and the guitarist vomiting, which does sum up this album, its teenage in every sense, songs of lost love, hope, dreams of the future and stupidity, it is a great album in every sense. For me it sums up a period of my life and I would imagine it could still appeal to teenagers who prefer guitar music today, for me it still sounds musically strong and holds potent memories which always make it a worthwhile listen.

The album is available for £4.99 on Amazon or for download and i'd totally recommend it.

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Oh why didn't I appreciate your talents earlier!?

I don't think I really appreciated this album fully when I first bought it- I could probably have only told you the names of the singles and was of the opinion that the rest of the songs just padded the album out- however I listened to it again after I've not heard it for years and found that I knew all the words to all the songs and they are all brillilant. The album mixes rock, grunge and indie throughout its upbeat and fun tracks for dancing around the living room (Kung-Fu, Girl form Mars), its harder 'eyes-closed-slow-head banging' type songs (Goldfinger, Lose control) and the odd ballad (Oh Yeah, Lost in You) that makes me fondly remember my 1990s youth. It has aged well and since I have rediscovered it the tracks regularly feature in my mix tapes- even the songs which I considered to be unmemorable in my ill-informed youth! I don't own any other Ash albums . . .yet.

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A great debut album

This album was, in my opinion one of the best indie offerings of the 90s, a decade which had more than its fair share of memorable ones! Ash have gone on to release four more albums, and all of them have their moments, but this is still my favourite of the five. Opening track 'Lose Control' starts with a Darth Vader sound effect, a reference to the album's title, because the film 'Star Wars' was released in 1977. It then bursts into the kind of intro which is tailor made for the start of an indie album or live set, it just gets you in the mood instantly! Second track 'Goldfinger' is the first of a number of singles released off the album, with the biggest hit of all, 'Girl from Mars' next up, the first Ash track for me and probably thousands of others out there, and 13 years on it still sounds as good as ever. Although it tends to pass unnoticed by most people, I love 'I'd give you anything'. with its insistent thumping guitar riff, but then we get to the only weak bit of the album, the rather insipid 'Gone the Dream'. I am not a big fan of 'Oh Yeah' either, although I know that I am probably in the minority on that one! But the boys soon get back to form with 'Kung Fu', my favourite track on the album, even though the lyrics are a bit bizarre! The rest of the album is also excellent, with 'Innocent Smile' standing out for me - I love the way it builds up towards the end and then comes crashing down.

If you are looking to start from scratch as far as your Ash collection is concerned, I would start here right at the beginning (excluding the mini album 'Trailer'). If you already own Ash CDs and don't have this one, then remedy that problem as soon as you can - you won't be disappointed!

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super

The album did not come in 1977, arriving in the midst of a whirlwind of press hype in 1996. Fronted by Tim Wheeler, Ash blasted out a string of high energy indie rock anthems.

On this album:

'Girl From Mars' broke the band onto the music scene, blistering guitar riffs coupled with Wheeler's youthful and exuberant vocals, delivering a student hands-in-the-air anthem for years to come. 'Kung Fu' does what it says on the tin, paying homage to the great Jackie Chan, uptempo and exciting and carefree. 'Goldfinger' is not a Bassey cover, but has a slow burning feel before crashing into a thunderous chorus section.

Critique:

There are a few less memorable tracks tucked in here, but the album hurtles along at a brisk pace and is worth buying for the singles alone. It will take you back to a time when life was about Brit Pop and trying to steal Oasis' crown. Ash never came close, but what they did they did well and with style.

Verdict: Energetic and fun filled guitar laden indie

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great

This was the first ever album I bought myself. I loved the fact that ash were still teenagers when they wrote and recorded this. I don't think their is one song that I don't like. I can honestly say I know every single song and can sing along with ease (is that sad?) I think its great it has several hidden items. I managed to find the hidden tracks "don't know" and "jack names the planets" at the beginning of the album and the famous "sick party at the end" (this is just the bassist mark being sick for about 10 mins) I really enjoyed this album I think its very punky but poppy too as songs like angel interceptor with its cheesy lyrics make you smile. I really don't think a music collection would be complete without "1977 in it. I know you will not be disappointed if you buy it. You could now properly buy this album for about £2 on Amazon which is great value for money.

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1977 was in fact the second album that Ash released, their first was a mini-album Trailer. That brought them some recognition and their talent and potential was starting to show through, but they got very little wide publicity. Their latest release Free all Angels has been their biggest success, while for me it is a very close thing for 1977 and that for my favourite Ash album. Those two great albums were sandwiched between a minor disappointment. Nu-Clear sounds had a few decent songs but on the whole did not live up to the standards set by 1977. Ash really are a teenage band. Literally they came to the music business straight from school. Tim Wheeler the lead singer/songwriter and lead guitarist, Rick McMurry on drums and Mark Hamilton bass were at the same school in Northern Ireland when they formed and realized they could make some pretty good music together. Since then they have gone from strength to strength and built up a real fan base and a reputation for good music and a good attitude. Ash have been classed under Brit-pop with all the coverage and hype that comes out when a half decent British band comes out with a fresh new sound. Their music is a great combination of real rock with a softer twist to it to make it very listen able. There are some very catchy melodies without being too manufactured or commercial. There are some real pop moments and light hearted songs that make this a great album and shows the best of Ash and their music. 1. Lose Control A great start to the album, showing all the fast paced guitars and action packed from the start. Start as you mean to go on, it is a good way to start off the album. Guitars keep the song going after a good solo intro, bursts into life with the lyrics picking up about halfway thorough, a lot of guitar solos and on here. 2. Goldfinger Slower than the opening, and not my favourite song on the album. Builds up to a good enough base to the song, but takes a l ong time to get there. Quieter and more laid back in both the vocals and instruments though a below average song on this album is not a disaster. 3. Girl From Mars The best track on the album so far and one of the best on the album in general. One of the released songs and a recongised, this is one of the songs on here that is very relaxed. They are just having fun and the result is an upbeat and amazing song. Great guitar solo in the middle of the track, and just a great song. 4. I’d Give you Anything Strong guitars and a more coarse song in general. Very good guitars that add a backbone to the song while the vocals are more angry and there is a very electrical feel to this track. A good number none the less. 5. Gone the Dream I like this track, it is much softer and laid back. No roaring guitars, this is another side of Ash. Very mellow and nice and easy to listen to. 6. Kung Fu The best song on the album in my opinion. Starts off by listening to a funny fight scene, then turns out to be a real rock song with fast moving and superb guitars all the way through. One of the best lyrically here as well, it is all talking about the great kung fu movies and people and comes up with some great quotes. ‘I haven’t been the same since my teenage lobotomy’, ‘last nigh Jackie Chan came round we played pool and we hung out’ Marvelous. 7.Oh Yeah A really good song that brings back memories of long summer days and young love. Very good lyrics again and more instrumental and relaxing song. Also a very remising song and looking back on good times. A great song and up there with the best on the album. 8. Let it Flow Takes a little while to get into life, though when it does it is a great song. It flows nicely with a good and catchy beat to it. Upbeat vocals and very happy, poppy. Lovely to listen to and one of the best on the album. 9. Innocent Smile This track has a very nice beat too it, and like the one earlier it has a great way of flowing through the song from start to finish. Not as instantly catchy as some of the others on the album, but very easy to listen to. Some great guitar work towards the end as well. 10.Angel Interceptor Released as a single, though not my favourite of the ones they released. Still a good track it gets going well and keeps going with a fast beat and guitars. 11.Lost in You Slower than some of the other tracks on the album, but loses none of the quality. A very good song, it has a real quality to it. Great lyrics tell a story of being parted from loved ones, and very well sung showing changes from real rock to this. A really good song, really well sung. 12. Darkside Lightside Starts out well enough, the drumming is good on this track as are the guitars. Falls away to the end though, and a bit of a let down the album end. Almost like they got tired and gave up, does not do the ending of this great album justice. There is a ‘bonus’ track on the end of all this. A few minutes after the end of the final track the CD cuts back in with several minutes of sound effects of some people throwing up with others laughing. Very disappointing, I first realized this was on here when I fell asleep listening to this on a train and I was not a pleasant awakening. May be considered funny, but it was a pretty sick sense of humor. Overall a great sound and top music from Ash. An other album that I have gone back to discover and I have not looked back. This is Ash and their best album, though newer stuff comes close. It is a relief to see Ash back to their best, and this is well worth a listen to. Oh, and sorry about the title. It was a reference to a certain football event that happened then, not to take anything away from the album at all. Chris

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Confession time: I am usually a bit of an indie snob,i.e. I have a huge dislike of most pop music (Steps/westlife),with its bland highly produced sound, and vacuous lyrics (etc,etc,etc). I tend to like miserable-ish music that is bleak, but is at least beautifull and lyrical (etc,etc). Although this music is good, it is very contemplatative music, you listen to it sitting down, often rather seriously. Sometimes however I want a break from Nick Cave, Bob Dylan et al and to actually RocK!!!(erm,yes...). Ash, and various other indie bands are a guilty pleasure in that they write wonderful melodious songs with sharp lyrics and hooks; but in an punk-pop guitar realm. I have been playing this album for weeks now and it hasnt yet lost any of its giddy charm, song after song after song exhilarates, and the varied pace is refreshing. Compared to say the mostly faster tracks on their second album. The songs themselves are uniformly excellent and their variety of styles is a nice change, compared to say fred-mooseface- dursts endless petulant whining. As I said its a guilty pleasure for some indie fans as its (gasp) too cheerfull and joyous (facets usually accosiated with dreaded pop music), but who should care about definitions, I mean, really! The album seems one of those complete albums, no filler is audible, and it made me complete forget about my world for a few wonderful minutes, great escapist (occasionally air-guitary) music. Unpretentious, unburderned by preconceptions (as it was their debut album) but with mostly surround-sound brilliance, and songs that burrow into your head and provide musical pleasure throughout the day, well its better than having the dreaded so-solid-crew in your noggin!

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I can remember vaugely "Girl From Mars" being played on the radio when i was about 12!Then i happened to stumble accros it in a mates record collection before christmas and the song on full!I love that song!Any way we left it on and it went through the other great songs on this album, i.e Kung Fu and Oh Yeah (both i rember from the radio aswell). Any way i went out the next day i brought this album and it has hardly left my cd player since, and i have a big collection! In my opinion it is defently one of the top 5 albums of the 90's,up there with Oasis, Prodigy, Manics, and The Verve!1977 is full of classic rock, summer songs and will appeal to so many fans of all types of alternative music!Look, don't just listen to me, read waht the critics said and what all these other fans said. I think i read someone say it changed there life, hey its gotta be a good album if it can do that! two more words, BUY IT, one more NOW!

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No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones in1977!" quoth the Clash in that oh-so-significant year of pop culture upheaval. It was the unofficial start of the punk era, the year "Star Wars" first appeared in the local bijou, as well as the year that Ash singer/guitarist Tim Wheeler and bassist Mark Hamilton first appeared in the Irish town of Downpatrick. All three milestones come into play on Ash's full-length debut, 1977. Being so young, the band (filled out by drummer Rick McMurray) have always had little trouble wearing their influences on their sleeves. Their post-pubescent power trio pop is equally inspired by American indie icons like Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr., as it is by more important things. You know, girls, school, sci-fi, comic books and action flicks, all your standard teenage kicks. 1977, which follows last year's Trailer compilation of singles and EPs, finds Ash teetering on the brink of maturity--only they're plainly fighting it by throwing their weight in the other direction. The boys have often proclaimed their worship of British metallers like Iron Maiden, and all of a sudden, Wheeler's guitar playing has taken a decidedly heavy tone--dig the overboard wankouts on "Lose Control" or the epic anthem, "Goldfinger," which conjures up scary images of Teenage Fanclub in leopard-print spandex pants. That's not to say the sprites have sacrificed their childlike punk 'tude. The storming ode to Hong Kong superstar Jackie Chan, "Kung Fu," takes its chopsockey cues from the Ramones, while the record's finest moment, the giddy "Girl From Mars," takes a standard pogo singalong tone until it explodes in a maelstrom of guitar freakout in the J Mascis vein. The album occasionally trips over its own giant steps. "I'll Give You Anything" is a generic metalcore stomp, and the summer romance of "Oh Yeah" over-reaches into an undevel oped "Champagne Supernova"--but that's to be expected in a young band. The real flaw of 1977 lies in the hands of someone who should have known better. The production by Oasis knobber Owen Morris is excessively noisy and often quite murky, a possibly conscious effort to tone down the band's preternaturally Pop! qualities and give them a more "alternative" vibe. As a result, the punk rock gets muddied, while experimental bits like the string section on the shoulda-been-splendid "Gone The Dream" are strangely obscured. Still, the scope and high spirit of Ash's Big Boy Rock is a refreshing change from the wannabe-somebody, anybody copycatism of today's successfull post-teen combos. The best bits on 1977 ultimately show Ash to be a rare commodity in these troubled times, a relatively traditional pop-rockin' singles band par excellence. Just like Elvis, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

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Ash were born in the mid-ninties, an era most remember for brit-pop, but Ash were different, this album in '96 included a combination of pop and rock songs. 'Girl from Mars' had to be one of the main selling points of this album, it's simple chord structure did not hinder it's effect on the public. The Irsih lads also helped tham selves greatly by having one of the tracks (track 1. - Lose control) as one of the best loved songs on the GT sound track, I know I loved racing to this tune! The album is packed with other great songs, 12 of them in fact... including Kung Fu, Goldfinger and I'd give you anything. In my opinion the album has no bad songs, from beginning to end it is simply packed with great songs. The only downfall on the album in my opinion is the bonus track... it's funny at first, but the comedy of listening to a few lads p**s and force them selves to vomit soon wears off, and starts to make you feel ill! Espessially when it goes on for about 10-15 minutes!!!!

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I heard one of thir songs from an old playstation game (GT1 anyone?) - Lose Control. WOW!! oh well this band wont ever have an abulm....little did I know it already had one! 1977 The year of many great things..... The Birth of the main man and his crew (most of them were born in the same year!) and star wars, if you listen closley at the start of lose control a X wing or Y wing or what ever sound effect plays. My mate played me a song from one of his brothers old tape collections...it was ASH, I had found the album, I bought it the next day. This group has so many qualities at such a young age it was unbeliveble. Tim Could sing, and he had a good group behind him, and they could still get better! My favourite songs are - Lose Control - Kung FU - Girl From Mars - Gone The Dream - Angel Interceptor - Darkside Lightside However the others are still amazing. Just couldnt wait for Free All Angels... If you have Free All Angels and you dont have 1977, what are you doing staring at this review?? Go now leave this computer and buy it now. You wont regret it. I promise! P.S One word of warning. if you dont have a strong stomouch, dont listen past 10 minutes of the last track. You have been Warned!

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I bet thats what people will say when you play this to them. This is quite simply a great album. The guitars range from fast and hard right down to soft and mellow(but not too much of the latter). The lyrics are nice and uncomplicated. The songs are timeless(5 years on and its still better than most of todays dull indie rock). 'Lose Control' WILL have you playing air guitar and jumping around(thats the track on the Playstation game Gran Tourismo by the way). 'Kung Fu' will have pretty much the same effect. 'Goldfinger' is moody but not depressing(hooray!) 'Girl From Mars' tricks you first time round with its acousticy intro before exploding into overdriven guitars, the same can be said of 'Angel Interceptor'. 'Oh Yeah' is the track that got me into Ash in the first place(it was on the radio all the time when I was in France in '96). I'm not too keen on some of the tracks but the ones I do like more than make up for it(hence 5 stars and not 4). Oh, if you do get this album let the last track run through as there is a bonus track called 'Sick Party'. Its funny. If you are just getting in to Ash with Shining Light and Burn Baby Burn like my little brother is then you should go out and get this. I can guarentee (almost!!) that their new album "Free All Angels" won't be better than this.

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Ash arrived on the music scene in the middle of the 90’s during the Brit Pop boom and they’re music reflects this. They’re very much rooted in the indy-rock style which was so very ‘OK’ to like. Think of it as punk crossed with the standard Brit Pop influences, Velvet Underground etc. Happily, unlike a lot of the material that was released under the hype of Brit Pop, 1977 (Named so because that’s when the first Star Wars film came out and they’re big fans) isn’t all that bad. True, it’s not ground breaking rock music. Compare it to the likes of Faith No More, later Metallica and the Foo Fighters and it starts looking slightly tired and a touch clichéd. But it doesn’t look that tired most of the time and it’s not that clichéd all of the time, that job is left to Ash’s debut, Trailer Park, which is Ash’s debut album, not 1977. Luckily they turned themselves round for this album. Let’s take a quick look through some of the more interesting tracks. The opening track, Loose Control, is one of my favourites, starting with the sound of a Star Wars Tie Fighter flying past – great stuff before breaking into a fast strumfest of a song. Goldfinger, a song of contrast. A rocky thumping chorus and a verse that alternates between delicate strumming and chorus style thumping. Girl from Mars, a track you must have heard if you have any interest in Ash. It really shouldn’t need any explanation from me, but just in case it’s one of Ash’s more poppy songs and one of the lighter moments on the album. The above tracks are the first three tracks on the album and get the album off to a great start, though the album does have a bit of a rest after this until it gets to Kung Fu. An insane track with an introduction consisting of helium martial art antics. Something that wouldn’t have been overly out of place on the first Mr. Bungle album. 1977 is witho ut a doubt Ash’s best album, it’s listenable unlike its predecessor but not so polished you can’t hear the songs like on Nu-Clear sounds. For a long time I have regarded this album as Ash’s finest hour, but having heard a mere B-Side from the new album it appears they may be back on form.